Man fed up as municipality cuts his electricity every month
For the past eight months, a man had to make arrangements after his electricity was switched off time and again.
A letter on Facebook directed to the Emalahleni Local Municipality saw a man desperately seeking answers as the municipality keeps on cutting the electricity to his house,
Mr Michael Clack said he had enough of scurrying around every month because his electricity is cut before the due date of payment indicated on his electricity account.
“I’ve now had enough of this. Every month I pay my current account and the arrangements with the lawyers on my overdue amount. Still, you cut my power. I have to run around and ask why and all I get is sorry this shouldn’t have happened,” Clack lashed out.
This has been recurring for the past eight months.
What pushed Clack to the edge was when he wanted to switch on a light and alas, there was no electricity.
“This month the municipality waited until September 8 to cut my electricity, last month, August 3. In July, they cut the electricity on the 26th, skipped June, and cut my electricity on May 4 and 7. I can date back to eight months,” Clack said.
The municipal electricity statements clearly state that the account must be paid before the seventh of each month.
But Clack is feeling the brunt as his electricity is cut before the date every month.
Clack went to the municipality and was told that since Mr Johan Coetzee, who handled the municipality’s revenue collection, was given the boot, he had to make arrangements to pay his overdue account.
“I must make new arrangements with them and then go to attorneys and cancel the arrangement there and pay the municipality directly,” Clack said.
According to the municipality, the account has an ageing debt which translates into over 60 days, and their cut-off starts at more than 60 days.
In a court battle, in the matter of Rademan vs. Moqhaka Local Municipality and Others (2013 (4) SA 225 (CC)), the Constitutional Court ruled that the municipality may, without a court order, terminate the supply of electricity to a property where the owner defaults on its account for all levies charged on the property.
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